Hello, it is March 8th and we're back continuing on the project here at CDSC.
Today we are hanging lights, hoping to get at least half the lights on today.
We're also continuing to brace the structure through the walls so that everything is more solid.
We've got a new volunteer news, another community organizer here from Bed-Stuy.
So we keep gathering more and more volunteers here.
Hello guys, I'm going to introduce myself.
Shirley.
Nice to meet you.
Hello.
Nice to meet you.
My name is Shirley Polano.
We in Bed-Stuy have created creative community development through social enterprise.
And it's to support each other through our small business endeavors.
This is fun.
This is great.
Can you cut it?
Yeah.
Okay.
My enthusiasm comes from social work background and I'd like to offer things that I'm interested
in and I'd like my son to participate in to our community, even if it's just my block radius.
So right now I've opened my home, my ground level, to have a hydroponic farm in the cellar
possibly or in the rooftop or in the backyard.
I reached out to Lee Mandel after seeing the work that he did with Fountain House.
And I truly believe that things like that, things that build community help individuals
through stressful situations.
They're doing a great job.
Then in a couple of weeks they've done this much.
Yeah.
I'm spreading the word.
Yes, I am.
Any time I talk to someone, they learn about this project.
She had contacted us for doing a job and I told her what was going on here and she asked
if she could volunteer and whenever somebody asked if they could volunteer, my answer was
yes.
We have a really good volunteer group.
I mentioned four.
We don't have fruits and vegetables in our community.
Most of us who want fresh fruits and vegetables have to drive three, four miles to BJs or
fairways, places that are not in our community and giving our money to other communities
instead of keeping it in our homes in our community.
So with that thinking, people have been excited.
We're going to expand and work with more food pantries and more agencies that are providing
services to teach people construction skills, teach people how to grow food, along with
getting really high quality produce to them.
This project, as we get further along, we're going to be doing a big ribbon cutting on
the first harvest and we will send out press releases to everybody, print, radio, TV.
We want to generate a lot of buzz about this.
Whatever is going to keep the youth or whoever starts participating involved with like-minded
people to make this project happen, I think is really more what interests me about the
hydroponic farm.
That it's not a you plant and then you kind of come and you harvest.
There's a process that entails dialogue, that entails teamwork and community and active
participation.
In terms of how far we are along, I would say we're two thirds to three quarters of the
ways on before we can plant.
I'm hoping to be able to plant possibly by the end of next week.
If not, it will be early the following.
Thank you.
